LestersLegends.com

Philadelphia Eagles Not as Smart as I Thought

Apr 20, 2009

I was quick to commend Andy Reid and the Eagles for trading their #28 pick to Buffalo for Jason Peters. To me Left Tackle is one of the most important positions on a football team. While I still think it was a good trade, you have to look at the big picture.

My brother, who is a totally NFL Draft junkie, reminded me that the Eagles traded their first round pick last year (19th overall) to Carolina for the 43rd pick and a 2009 first round pick. Philadelphia dealt the 43rd pick and 152nd pick to Minnesota and took Trevor Laws with the 47th pick and Quentin Demps with the 117th pick.

Philadelphia in turn traded the 28th pick they acquired from Carolina for Peters. Peters is a Pro Bowl Tackle in his prime, but the player Carolina drafted with the 19th pick last year was Jeff Otah, a 6’6″, 330 LB Tackle, who helped pave the way for the league’s best rushing attack (factoring in rushing TDs). Otah will turn 23 this summer. He signed for $14 million ($8.9 million guaranteed) over five years. Meanwhile, Peters will cost the Eagles $60 million over six years. Sorry to rain on your parade Big Red, but wouldn’t you be sitting a heck of a lot prettier with Otah? You could do a lot with that $46 million. Not to mention the animosity that that big deal might cause in the locker room.

i didn’t like it when it went down. i understand the importance of the position…….but really in andy’s 10+ in philly the only thing he’s done right is Donovan…….now the question that everyone avoids is “what’s up with donovan’s contract”

Well, if Andy (or anybody) could see the future, then yeah – you could criticize him for not getting the best value out of the deal. What if Carolina went in the toilet, though? Maybe they’d be able to take the kid from Baylor on Saturday. At least they took a shot. The takeaway is that, yes, they have a young LT for maybe 5-7 years. I’m good with that.

matt told me about this, i find it amusing how quickly the eagles FO forgets it’s veteran players. Oh & please spare me the high horse ca ca…..i’ve been following the eagles for so long: i can honestly say i’ve really had enough.